Sen. John Kerry seems almost certain to be confirmed as the next U.S. Secretary of State, which would leave a temporary opening of his Massachusetts senate seat. Now, the recently retired congressman Barney Frank is making it publicly known — he wants Kerry’s job!
The openly gay Frank is known for being rather “frank” and for not biting his tongue. But less that 1 day after ending his 16 year congressional career, Frank is not being at all coy about the desires of his heart.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick would need to appoint an interim senator should Kerry be officially confirmed to the State Dept. The post would be for about 3 months, until an election can be held.
Gov. Patrick has made it known that he would only be interested in appointing a place holder who would not want to run for the job long term, leaving a different candidate available to campaign for the election instead of being required to be on the job in Washington. Among the names that have been tossed around include former congressman Robert. F. Kennedy Jr., actor Ben Affleck and even Vicki Kennedy, the widow of former Sen. Ted Kennedy. But Barney Frank is making it crystal clear that Gov. Patrick needs to look no further.
“The first months of the new Senate will be among the most important in American history,” Frank said. “I may be a little immodest, but I called the governor and said I think I can be a help in reaching a fair solution to some of these issues.
“I think there are progressive ways to work on Social Security and Medicare. I think making the case against them (Tea Party Republicans) on the debt limit is important,” Frank added. “A split emerged in the Republican Party over the fiscal cliff, with mainstream Republicans splitting with the radical right. I think it’s important for us to continue to exploit that. We need to reach out to conservative Republicans who nonetheless are willing to compromise, and find a way to reach a deal.”
